‘Bengal model’ to oust Left in Tripura: Congress

Agartala, May 19 (IANS) The Congress will apply the “Bengal model and strategies” in Tripura to oust the Left Front government from this northeastern state, party leaders said here Tuesday. “Due to our organisational weakness, we failed to enlighten the people about the misrule, corruption, terrorism and double standards of the ruling Left Front in Tripura and hence party candidates have suffered a defeat in the Lok Sabha polls,” the state’s leader of opposition Ratan Lal Nath told reporters.

Congress leaders in Tripura would take lessons from party leaders in West Bengal on how they achieved success against the ruling Left Front in that state, he said.

The Left suffered serious reverses in both its citadels - West Bengal and Kerala, but won both the Lok Sabha seats in Tripura, which it has ruled since 1978 barring a five-year period in 1988-92.

The CPI-M got 62 percent of the vote while the Congress secured 28 percent in the just concluded parliamentary elections.

“The left parties blackmailed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for more than four years and now lost their national importance after the Lok Sabha elections,” the Congress leader said.

The ruling CPI-M vehemently reacted to the Congress’ comments.

“The CPI-M-led Left parties had been winning in all the elections in the state and taking action against corruption,” CPI-M spokesman Gautam Das told media persons.

“People of Tripura still keep in mind the horrible misrule of Congress government in Tripura during 1988 to 1992,” he added.

According to Das, the opposition parties’ victory in West Bengal was achieved due to Maoists, criminals, and a misinformation campaign besides spending huge amounts of money.